Featured themes 09/08/2025

Nicknames in Gaelic Irish Society:
Ugly, greedy, faulty, lame, snub-nosed, gloomy, tipsy… (Part II).
Gorteenayanka / Goirtín an Gheancaigh
‘the (little) field of the snub-nosed, rude person’
20188

Date: 09/08/2025

Last week we discussed the epithet carrach ‘mangy, scabby, rough-skinned’, which was prevalent enough among the Gaelic Irish in the Early Modern period to make its way into some townland names (e.g. Ballymacahara / Baile Mhic Aodha Charraigh ‘the town(land) of the son of scabby, mangy, rough-skinned Aodh’ (logainm.ie #55479) in Co. Wicklow). We will now look at some other relatively blunt epithets attached to the eponyms of administrative placenames.

Some of these epithets seem more pejorative than others: for example, Lissagroom / Lios Aodha Ghruama ‘the ring-fort of gloomy Aodh’ (logainm.ie #8091) in Co. Cork and Ballingayrour / Baile an Ghéill Ramhair ‘the town(land) of the fat hostage’ (logainm.ie #30902) in Co. Limerick do not have the same bite as Bishop’s Island / Oileán an Easpaig Ghortaigh ‘the island of the mean, stingy, hungry bishop’ (logainm.ie #7132) in Co. Clare. Others are more ambiguous, such as the word lúbach, which can mean ‘strong, supple’ – a fine epithet – but can also mean ‘slippery, crafty’! We cannot be sure how exactly ‘Moriertagh Loobagh McMolrony Fyn’ [Muircheartach Lúbach Mac Maolruanaidh Fhinn] earned his name, i.e. crafty(?)/supple(?) Muircheartach of the sept of Mac Maolruanaidh Fhinn (a branch of the McDonaghs in southeast Co. Sligo) (CPR p.331).

(We may note in passing that this epithet lúbach was also the source of a surname, as we saw last week with Ó Clabaigh, deriving from clabach ‘big-mouthed, big-lipped’. A family surnamed Ó Lúbaigh ‘the descendant of (An) Lúbach ((the) crafty(?)/supple(?) person)’ (anglic. Lubby/Looby) are commemorated in the townland name Ballylooby / Baile Uí Lúbaigh ‘the town(land) of Ó Lúbaigh’ (logainm.ie #31574) in Co. Limerick.)

Similarly, geancach literally means ‘snub-nosed’ (from geanc), but is also used for ‘snubby, surly, rude’ (eDIL s.v. genncach; FGB s.v. geancach). However, in the following examples – which occur across different generations of the same family – we appear to be dealing with an inherited facial feature: ‘Donald gangaughe O’Dowill’ [Dónall Geancach Ó Dúill], i.e., snub-nosed Dónall Ó Dúill of Kyle (par. Kilpatrick), near Crossabeg in Co. Wexford, received an official pardon in 1549 (Fiants [Ed.] §314), and his apparent grandson ‘Daniel Doyle alias Gankagh’ – another Dónall Geancach – of ‘Kildenis’ [defunct] in Tinnacross (par. Clone) near Enniscorthy, was implicated in connection with the 1641 rebellion (C. Ó Crualaoich & K. Whelan, Gaelic Wexford 1550-1650; cf. The Past 17 (1990), p.36). Among the many other bearers of this epithet was yet another Dónall, namely ‘Donyll geankaghe O’Cuyllon’ [Dónall Geancach Ó Coiliúin], i.e., snub-nosed/rude Dónall Ó Coiliúin (Cullen) of Downings in Co. Wicklow, who received a pardon in 1549 (Fiants [Ed.] §272). Closer to our own era, the local Irish-language name of the townland Knockwilliam (logainm.ie #27123) in Co. Kilkenny was recorded in 1839 as ‘cnoc uilliam gannca’ [Cnoc Liam Gheancaigh] ‘the hill of snub-nosed/rude Liam’. In east Co. Galway the local Irish pronunciation of Gorteenayanka / Goirtín an Gheancaigh ‘the (little) field of the snub-nosed or rude person’ (logainm.ie #20188) was still available to Placenames Branch researchers in the mid-20th century. Although unfortunately lacking surnames, these placenames provide further evidence of the prevalence of geancach ‘snub-nosed; rude’ as an epithet among the Gaelic Irish.

(In Ulster the related word geancánach referred to an unpleasant supernatural character beautifully described in Dinneen’s 1927 dictionary (s.v. geanncánach) as “one of the lower and more vicious kinds of fairies”; cf. “a fairy cobbler” FGB s.v. geancánach. Examples in northern placenames include Poll na nGeancánach / Pullagankana “the hole, pool of the malevolent snub-nosed fairies”, recorded in the parish of Shercock, Co. Cavan, in the 20th century.)

Not all epithets carried connotations of judgements of character. Some merely described hair colour or skin characteristics, such as bán ‘white’, ballach ‘freckled’, crón ‘dark yellow’, dubh ‘black’, fionn ‘fair’, liath ‘grey’, odhar ‘greyish-brown’, riabhach ‘greyish, dusky’. (NB It is very difficult to accurately trace the history and development of the words for colours in any given language, never mind trying to ‘match’ them directly with another language! Any English translations here should be taken as very rough guides.) These colour-based personal epithets are some of the most common survivals in townland names. See for example Ballyshonickbane / Baile Sheoinic Bháin ‘the town(land) of white Seoinic’ (logainm.ie #32243) in Co. Limerick; Gortshanecrone / Gort Sheáin Chróin ‘the field of dark yellow Seán’ (logainm.ie #13305) in Co. Cork; Ballyteigeduff / Baile Thaidhg Dhuibh ‘the town(land) of black Tadhg’ (logainm.ie #28485) in Co. Laois; Attithomasreva / Áit Tí Tomáis Riabhaigh ‘the house-site of greyish, dusky Tomás’ (logainm.ie #18891) in Co. Galway; and Léim Fhir Léith ‘leap of (the) grey man’ or ‘the leap of Fear Liath [personal name]’ (logainm.ie #22686) in the Co. Kerry Gaeltacht.

One very common adjective of this type was buí, which basically means ‘yellow’. Although this word could be used in reference to hair colour, particularly in the earlier language (cf. Mid.Ir. foltbuide ‘yellow-haired’ eDIL s.v. folt, falt compds. (1)), as a personal epithet it was frequently used as a term for tanned, sallow skin (FGB s.v. 3 buí (2)). (Note that crón was used of skin of a darker tone than buí, and is often translated ‘swarthy’; see eDIL s.v. crón.) Although this type of skin does not seem to have been highly prized by the Gaels, the term buí was not particularly offensive. It features in a well-known Irish proverb which reminds us that beauty is only skin deep, and also cautions us not to rush to judgement, lest we ourselves be judged: Más peaca a bheith buí, tá na mílte damanta! “If it’s a sin to have sallow skin, then thousands of us are damned!”

Buí ‘yellow’ occurs in conjunction with personal names in a number of townland names, such as Ballyduboy / Baile Dháith Bhuí ‘the town(land) of ‘yellow’ Dáith [a version of Dáibhí]’ (logainm.ie # 53145) in Co. Wexford; Ballymacshaneboy / Baile Mhic Sheáin Bhuí ‘the town(land) of the son of ‘yellow’ Seán’ (logainm.ie #30800) in Co. Limerick; Ballyjohnboy / Baile Sheáin Bhuí ‘the town(land) of ‘yellow’ Seán’ (logainm.ie #27364) in Co. Kilkenny; Clone / Cluain Mhic Sheáin Bhuí ‘the meadow, pasture of the son of ‘yellow’ Seán’ (logainm.ie #30800) in Co. Limerick; Inisdauwee / Inis Dáith Bhuí ‘the island of ‘yellow’ Dáith’ (logainm.ie #20679) in Co. Galway; and Tawnycoolawee / Tamhnaigh Mhic Giolla Bhuí ‘the arable field of the son of Giolla Buí [‘the ‘yellow’ fellow’]’, or ‘the arable field of Mac Giolla Bhuí [a surname usually anglicized McIlwee]’ (logainm.ie #35715) in Co. Mayo.

Incidentally, if buí referred to hair colour rather than skin tone in any of these examples, it would have been quite the complimentary epithet in an Irish context. According to Fynes Moryson – the English historian who served as secretary to the notorious Mountjoy, Lord Deputy of Ireland, during the period 1600–1603 – the Gaelic Irish were particularly fond of ‘yellow’ hair (see Analecta Hibernica 37: ‘The Irish Sections of Fynes Moryson’s Unpublished Itinerary’, ed. Graham Kew). By yellow it is likely that Moryson meant what would now be called blond hair, which may have overlapped in sense with Irish buí. (The word blond(e) had yet to become established in English at this period. Note that Shakespeare also refers to yellow hair as an idealized symbol of youth and vitality: see Janziz (1997) ‘A Study of Colour Words in Shakespeare’s Works’ (PhD, Sheffield).)

These are only some of the Gaelic Irish epithets that come down to us in townland names in Ireland. We hope to be able to carry out a proper analysis on this topic in the coming years. Obviously, the modern corpus of townland names preserves only a tiny proportion of the vast range of Irish nicknames and personal epithets found in Irish and English historical sources. (Not to mention striking examples from early literature such as Aiteannchaithreach ‘abounding in furze-like pubic hair’!). A few further examples are preserved in fortuitous references to defunct historical placenames, leading to the usual sobering realization that countless others have perished since the destruction of Gaelic Irish society in the 17th century.

To lift the mood a little, we will finish with the adjective súgach. This word is very similar to Eng. merry in that it can quite innocently mean ‘cheerful, happy’ but is far more likely to imply ‘mellow with drink, tipsy’ (FGB s.v. súgach; eDIL s.v. súcach): Má chím daoine súgacha is má bhím súgach leo / ó cad é sin don té sin nach mbaineann sin dó? ‘if I see tipsy people, and if I’m tipsy myself with them / what’s that to the person whose business it isn’t?’ As a personal epithet it occurred in two historical placenames – both apparently referring to the same individual – near Ballywilliamroe (par. Monart), in the area known as The Duffry / An Dufair ‘the wilderness, jungle’ west of Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The anglicized spellings ‘Rahingerrald soughagh’ (NAI-Lodge-4-237) and ‘Aghgarraltsugagh’ (The Civil Survey of Wexford IX p. 279) point to Irish Ráithín Ghearailt Shúgaigh ‘the ring-fort of tipsy, cheerful Gearalt’ and Áth Ghearailt Shúgaigh ‘the ford of tipsy, cheerful Gearalt’, respectively. No other information about Gearalt Súgach survives: perhaps it would be too cynical to infer that he may occasionally have had difficulty crossing the ford named in his honour, the poor creature /ˈkreːt̪ər/!

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)

Nicknames in Gaelic Irish Society: Ugly, greedy, faulty, lame, snub-nosed, gloomy, tipsy… (Part II). Gorteenayanka / Goirtín an Gheancaigh ‘the (little) field of the snub-nosed, rude person’ 20188

Nicknames in Gaelic Irish Society:
Ugly, greedy, faulty, lame, snub-nosed, gloomy, tipsy… (Part II).
Gorteenayanka / Goirtín an Gheancaigh
‘the (little) field of the snub-nosed, rude person’
20188